Do you like saving online? My friends swear by it, but online secondhand shopping has always intimidated me. What if the item doesn’t fit? Or does the fabric not feel as good in person? Ready to learn, I asked five smart women to share their wisdom…
1. Make a counteroffer. “I rarely pay the sticker price for a second-hand item. When I’m thinking about my counteroffer, I calculate the cost of tax and shipping, as well as the cost of any possible tailoring. (I’m 5’3” and often need to hem items.) That way I can figure out the total price I would be okay with. Typically, the seller makes a counteroffer and then you can accept, reject, or continue negotiating.”— Kaitlyn Teer, big salad editor
2. In the children’s section don’t forget about warm clothing and footwear. “I often find brand-name, high-quality, gently used or new rain gear and winter coats with tags at greatly discounted prices. Think: North Face down jackets, Patagonian polarsand hunter rain boots. I simply type in the item I’m looking for and narrow the search results based on my kids’ size and my favorite brands.” – Kaitlyn Teer
3. Make packages. “To reduce shipping costs, I have two strategies. First, I look for listings that contain multiple items. For example, six Gap t-shirts in size 4T or three pairs of H&M jeans in size 7. Second, if I like multiple items from a particular seller, I go through their entire closet and put together an offer on a bundle of items. So instead of paying $8 shipping for each piece I order, I’ll pay $8 shipping for five pieces together.” – Kaitlyn Teer
4. Look for traditional brands and designers you like. “When I’m looking for secondhand clothes, I look out for vintage Wranglers, 100% cotton T-shirts from LL Bean or Lands’ End, and norma kamali dresses. Also, Raquel Comey Sweatshirts – they always come Noihsaf and sell it immediately.” [more here] — Kate Lindellofounder of Noihsaf Bazaar (see her full week of outfits here)
5. If you try on a piece in person, but it’s over your budget, set up an alert. “When I try on clothes at my favorite brick-and-mortar stores, I often buy them there. But if a piece ends up feeling like it’s over my budget and I decide not to buy it, I’ll set up online alerts for the piece in my size. I did this with a summer dress that I love and use all the time.” — Youngna Parkproduct advisor and writer
6. Use your colors/patterns/animals/etc. favorites as keywords. “I really like seahorses, so one day I typed ‘seahorse’ on Poshmark, just to see what came up. I ended up finding this straw bag and get it for $20. It has become my summer bag.” — Leela Cydphotographer
7. Stock up on work clothes. “When I worked in an office, I found all my work clothes on Poshmark and eBay. I still search by material (cashmere, silk, and linen) and brands that people sleep in, like banana republic and Ana Taylor. You can find a perfect cashmere sweater for $15 after searching for 10 minutes.” — Hansel Myawriter and stylist (see her complete week of outfits here)
8. Keep looking, even if it takes you a while. “My frey boots They are one of my favorite vintage finds. I searched two years before finally finding them in my size. I bought them on Poshmark for $100, instead of $500. They are my most prized possession.” —Mya Hansel
9. Accept that some purchases won’t work. “All purchases are unpredictable. However, the good thing is that if you bought it secondhand, you can probably resell it secondhand too, so don’t be discouraged!” – Youngna Park
Plus, some fun secondhand finds we love:
What tips would you add? I’m really interested this polka dot dressand how fun they are these Chloé sandals? Some secondhand retailers we love are luxury brand, depop, the realrealand Noihsaf Bazaar.
PS: Three outfit posts in one week: a vintage seller in England who only uses secondhand clothes, a Chicago-based stylist with secondhand advice, and a creative director from Berkeley who finds her shoes on eBay.
(Photo by Mya Hansel by Julia Robbs. Photo by Kate Lindello by Liz Pawlik. Additional reporting by Alex Ronan.)
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